The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz - Hour 1: Dan Le Batard Is An Insane Person

Episode Date: January 23, 2026

"AY AY AY!" Dan believes Fernando Mendoza dove into the end zone at the end of his iconic touchdown run, where three Miami Hurricanes hit him at the goal line because he was, and I quote, 'choosing to go theatrical.' He thinks Fernando wanted to be remembered, rather than, you know, fearing for his life as a 325-pound defensive lineman bore down on him. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This is the Dan Levitar show with the Stucats podcast. That is the Pucca Polka. I would like to never hear it again. Do you guys have an explanation for how it is that the Rams do that, like where they can just replace Cooper Cup at 2,000 yards for a season, and no look passes in the Super Bowl. And then I don't think anyone had Puka Nakuwa being this. In his last game, it's a surprise that Puka Nakuwa only has four catches.

I gave the stat earlier in the show that the Seahawks haven't allowed a 20-yard play on defense in more than a month. But when they last allowed it, it's because you cannot stop Puka Nakuwa. They will target him 18 times a game. They will get the ball to him 10 to 12 times a game. and I think it's pretty rare to have a player like that that nobody thought would be unstoppable coming out of college being totally unstoppable. Do you guys feel like that's just the combination of McVeigh

having the Hall of Fame quarterback and that he'll figure out a way to do that with whoever his number one wide receiver is? Yeah, I think it's equal McVeigh and Stafford. I think you got to have the quarterback. He did it with golf. Yeah. He did it with golf when golf, he rescued.

Goff's career, made it to a Super Bowl with Goff. There's just incredible alignment between the head coach, the quarterback, who's an extension of the head coach, and also the front office that does a really good job of not just scouting, but scouting specific to their team, their identity, and for what their coach needs. He puts a value on wide receivers that can block downfield. Speed isn't so much like something that they value. They like it. They have 2-2-at-well, who's obviously super fast, but they scout specific to what the coach

wants and they go out and find these gems that fit perfectly. Like you don't believe that Nicola would do this with another team, right? Well, I just find that part fascinating, right? The, I find fascinating the idea that they can just turn Cooper Cup into something that's never been seen in the history of the league where they're playing in a Super Bowl and they're literally winning the Super Bowl when all of us and the Bengals know, oh, look, all their receivers are hurt. Clearly, Stafford is going to go to Cooper Cup here.

Look at this. Stafford is doing no look passes in a Super Bowl to Cooper Cup, even though everyone in the stadium knows that the only healthy thing the Rams have left is Cooper Cup. And I don't understand how it is that one coach can do that and none of the others can. None of the others can do that. I can understand it. In every walk of life, there are people that are better at their jobs than other people. And it makes sense that at football, Sean McVeigh, for my money, is the best. Like Cup and Nakua are not similarly built, right? Cooper Cup's significantly bigger, right?

They're both very physical receivers and what Mike says is true about they get receivers who can block. Like many of the things that they do everywhere on the field are helped by the fact that their receivers can block. Puka Nakua has said because of the style of play that he's going to be done before he's 30 years old. Because that is a very difficult way to play football. The way, I mean, they've got three tight ends. and I don't know, Higbee to me is just somebody who's an assortment of junkyard parts where you just put, I'm expecting sort of a carburetor to be somewhere in the temple of his head because he's just, the way they play is unusually physical, but now they're going and

running into a team, this is funny to me, right? That I've got Jared Stidham playing in a championship conference game, and the thing that I think is most untrustworthy this weekend is that Sam, Donald's going to screw that up, right? And I don't think I'm alone in sort of having the doubt that everything that Seattle is is going to get undermined by the fact that the Rams have a quarterback who is better. And in fact, the Seahawks are 8-0 in their last eight games. The Rams are five and three and have a lot of weird losses. But that spread is two and a half in favor of the Seahawks when normally if the teams are even, the spread would just be three.

And I believe Sam Darnold is the reason for that half point. Just a general distrust of Sam Darnold. I mean, I felt that way last week, too. I thought the 49ers were going to win that game. See, I didn't think that just because every year, for many years, I was fooled always by the fact that the wild card team looks good during wild card weekend and then goes and plays a team with a buy. And that buy is, to me, the biggest advantage.

that there is anywhere in the playoffs. Like anywhere in the playoffs, the buy of a better team is good enough to get an extra week of rest. And the 49ers expend themselves that way to get past Philadelphia. I'm generally going to assume that the following week, the team with the buy is going to drag the lesser team. But I had to learn that the hard way. It's only because I was wrong for several years and always getting infatuated with, oh look at what Josh Allen does in Jacksonville.

That's going to carry over. And then it doesn't carry over because I don't think that there's a greater advantage that the Patriots took advantage of in 25 years of Belichick or 20 years of Belichick and Brady then get the buy, make sure you have the home game, and make sure that whatever's coming into your stadium for the first playoff game of only two you have to play to get to the Super Bowl is a broken team that had to play the week before. Yeah, it's odd that the Broncos are perceived to be the broken. team here. But yeah, the war of attrition. We know how physical playoff games can be. You're usually

picking the bones off an opponent that's pretty soft. I think that the only thing keeping me from picking the Seahawks in this game is the distrust of Darnold because it's usually too much to ask of any football team, no matter how good what you're asking of the Rams, which is go win three road playoff games. Like, that's just, it's just a giant ask, and it's a giant ass because Stafford's fingers were hurt in the first of those games.

Just the amount of damage done to the human body makes it hard for me to look at this game and analyze it accurately because I've got such a pervasive mistrust of Sam Darnold. The last time I had this mistrust

of Sam Darnold, the Minnesota Vikings, who were 14 and went on the road and lost 27 to 9 because the announcers were screaming at Sam Darnold because he was seeing ghosts. He's holding it too long. Throw it, man. So let me get this right. The only reason that gives you pause to pick the Seahawks straight up is throw it man, Sam Darnold. What about Oz the mentalist picking the Rams versus the Broncos before the season started?

Glad you brought that guy out. What's up with that guy? we've had him on before. He goes everywhere. He impresses everyone. He's one of two things. The biggest fraud ever. Or a warlock. I think it's a second one. Yeah. It's one of those two. All right. I've seen enough. There's no middle ground here.

As someone that is traditionally watched a lot of AFC football on CBS, I've seen the promos for the mentalist. I know that there's a thing there. Really perceptive people that ask you a bunch of questions. But how did you nail the Broncos? It's cool to go inside the Rams training staff, ask questions, and yeah, you took a real reach there. This Rams staff and players, they're good. But how did you get Rams Broncos? If Stidim does this, guys, the government needs to call this guy in and make him a part of some special force that's not that hard these days. But he needs to be like protecting us.

Order of peace. Oz the Mentalist would be picking the Broncos, and so too would Greg Cody of the Miami Herald. Greg Cody has put in print that the Broncos will indeed beat the Patriots, and Oz the Mentalist is somebody, and you can find many videos of this, and I'm sorry if the algorithm grabs you after you've done it, but Oz the mentalist shocking people is something that is all over the internet,

shocking credible people with things that they don't understand how he gets right. And I believe most people would point to Warlock before they pointed to fraud because there's so many, there's so much evidence, quote unquote, evidence on the internet of credible people being stunned by what Oz the mentalist is doing. You would think somebody eventually would come out and be like, all right, before he did ask me. You know, nobody has like afterwards been like, oh, he asked me this, though, and that's how he knew. Like, there's nothing of that. He's being too nice, which actually leads me to believe that he might be a warlock of some sort.

Because if you're a warlock, you don't want people to know that you're a warlock. He's costing himself a lot of money by downplaying how powerful he actually is. Publicly, he's very humble. He's like, no, no, no, I just pay attention. If you actually lean hard into warlock, you actually might become a cult leader. There is no end to the power you could accrue. I can see that. I'm saying global domination.

We've already ushered in a New World Order. Oz, you could be an evil leader if you choose to. Could run the cults. Let's advertise. The cults are the cults. The Wizard of Oz. Let's tell all very worthy interruptions. Let's tell people about what it is that Tony is doing this weekend with the MMA hangout.

He is hustling at all times. and I don't know if you guys have noticed there are a whole lot of people who care about MMA who are complaining vigorously about how Dana White has checked out that his indifference about going to press conference and selling things is obvious to everyone. I actually don't know the minutia and the details in what goes on when you're making all of these changes. I don't know how much Paramount needs him. I don't know how self-sufficient that thing is or how bored.

he is by the fact that he's been at this several years and I could see why he would lose stamina for the press conferences but a whole lot of people are noticing that Dana White has just almost completely checked out on the governing of that stuff but Patty the Batty is fighting this weekend and he's one of the few signature draws that they have so make sure the dead flamingo which is always very good to our show is something that you you check in on this weekend. The MMA Hangout UFC 324. You can watch it with us live.

That's something that Tony has built out of nothing, and it has become very popular. New start time, 9 p.m. Eastern, they will be getting going. And Eutana might have lost enthusiasm, but Tony and Lewis have not. So check them out live on our YouTube channel. Yeah, go watch it, baby. That is correct.

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It sounds to me like everybody could use a hug because a hug is always the right size. Stugats. All I have put in my body today is three cups of coffee and an entire cup of honey. Go to the penalty box. Don't let him fool you. He said in the break that he's jittery. This is the Dan Levitar show with the Stugats. Speaking of watching things, we've been telling you for a while,

and everyone around here knows that when the University of Miami is relevant, college football is better for it. Monster numbers, just giant numbers for that championship between the University of Miami and Indiana. Not since the Cubs. were winning the World Series as a sporting event, non-professional football division done the kind of numbers that Miami did. Chris Cody, do you have the sound for me of the Spanish call of Fernando Mendoza's

miracle run through the hurricane secondary on 4th and 5, the signature call by a coach in this game, and Spanish is better as a language in terms of fun and funny than English is. I, aye, aye. Manduza. The offensive, is the main tianning in the camp. It's Kaylon Black,

the corridor. This is a rat, the circle, and Mendoza, Mendoza, Mendoza, Mendoza, Mendoza, Mendoza, Mendoza. Dutch!

Fernando Mendoza! I, I, I, I, is exactly what everybody in the Miami fan base was feeling on that fourth and five as... The best part of the... about it is that's just as they're getting the play set up.

So that is just his pure panic before we get going. I wonder what he said. There's a stadium full of I, aye, aye, aye, aye, before that ball snapped. And the hurricanes knew what was coming and they couldn't stop it anyway. Like, they knew what was coming. Yeah, they just got the call in too late according to Corey Heatherman. It's an all-time play in the history of college football. Like when they put out a montage of national championship game moments, that's up there.

saw him talking Fernando after the game and that he's like if it was zone I'm running if it was man I was going to pass but the hurricanes disguised it so he wasn't sure so he just was like I had to trust myself and go for it. Let's do what Mike is saying there though and take the context and the inventory of the moment when Mike Ryan says correctly that what Mendoza did on that play given the stakes given the circumstance fourth and five again I will remind you and This is just unbelievable to say, and the hangover still felt in Miami. The win probability of Indiana, given all of the things that you throw into the machine, after having seen the game, was 14%, because I think many of us could argue.

It's a losing argument because of the scoreboard, but we can argue that Miami is the better team. It's a nowhere argument because they lost. Scoreboard decides measurement system's imperfect. It's imperfect forever. Indiana had two touchdown drives in the game. One of them aided by multiple third down penalties, the other made possible by two fourth and five conversions. When Mike Ryan says it's a play for all time, he's got it right, but what are the others that go in that discussion?

When you think of plays for all time. Vince Young? Yeah, Vince Young's run in the penalty flag on Miami in the Fiescible in terms of like championship game moments. Do you think other people think about that? I'm not sure. How can you not? Two is throw.

The two a pass. Two is throw. But average college football fan remembers Ohio State flag. The only reason that I would say that you have to remember that is because you never have the situation of fireworks in the sky. I think one team is the champion. Oh, there's a flag on the field. Never mind. The other team now gets to win the championship.

It's just not something that has a precedent. But you're right when you say that doesn't have a name attached to it. Locally, it has Terry Porter referee attached to it, but that doesn't have a name attached to it as a play. And usually when you talk about plays for all time, it can never be a penalty flag. And it's usually a play that has an accomplishment on it. It is a success. And ends the game. As a play, it's not something that you're just weirded out because you don't understand

how a referee just decided a game. Deshawn, Deshawn Watson for Clemson. But it's rare that the moment is not happening at the very end. Because I do think there was a huge pump lock and that's going to have its own set of lore. But I think you have a Heisman winner surrounded by a big brand logo and players collapsing on him and him scrappy Indiana guy displaying world-class balance and strength, literally willing his team over the line. Yeah, James with the touch. sound drive for FSU at the very end of the game.

Do you guys know what's funny about the Mendoza thing? I actually believe everything about Mendoza's both sincere and sweet. And yet, when he jumped into the end zone there and extended the ball, I'm like, wildly unnecessary. He could have just run in. He did that because he knew the size of the moment. Yes, I didn't think it was necessary. I'm not sure you think in the moment.

He knew, oh, this is dramatic. I've got to extend the ball. That's crazy. I'm not exactly sure he knew where other players were. So he was just like kind of blind and like, I'm going to put all of my six foot five frame into this. I understand why because it was like extra dramatic, but he got spun around like a couple of times.

That guy, you think that guy is like, ah, flare for the dramatic. I've got to extend. Not only Jeremy, do I believe that? Because I believe he knew he was going to get in, but the other way looks more theatrical. and wonderful. I'm not even criticizing him for it.

I'm simply saying that that part he was giving you a little extra. It was not necessary because he knew the size of the moment. Man, I think it's kind of like the buildup to him. Like, I've got nothing left. I've just fought through hell. I'm spinning around. Which way is the theatrical, he says. And I'm just going to javelin myself into this end zone.

I am telling you that I believe, look, he got it by more than the length of his body. He didn't need. to do that with the football. That's going to be the sad shoe. Correct. And he put his body in the perfect place for the saddew. I'm not criticized. I'm really not criticizing it.

It's just very critical. How is it critical? What's critical about it? It's not critical. It's just insane. This is the diary of an insane person. No, I don't believe it's the diary of an insane person. I think it's a little bit of both.

I'm going to watch this play again because I think you're way off. I think it's a little bit of boat. I can understand why Danwood, it was like he put a little flare on that, but I also think it's just like exhaustion and like I did it. He knew he was going to get it. in either way, so he did it that way. And it's the better way to do it. But he knew he was going to get in. He was there. He was already there. He was safe. And he was fine. You're making it seem like he's breaking down the sideline and had it the whole way. No, what I'm saying to you is,

can we get the Telestrator out? He's got like six guys around this. This is nuts. Can we get that play on the Telestrator? I don't think we're allowed. I believe we can. We can do the still. Maybe Dan will recreate it back there. We can do the still if you guys want. But I, I believe he put a little extra mustard on it. What's wrong with that? A little extra sauce on it. A little extra theater on it. You guys are all disagreeing with me on this.

Everyone, I am alone in this opinion of thinking that Mendoza put an extra little spice on it because he could because it's wonderful to be him. And he had his moment and he was in the center of everything and he knew exactly what it is that he was doing. And it was theatrical. I'm alone. Okay. Yeah. Just because you're associating him with me. me doesn't mean he's doing something theatrical.

I'm not associating him with you, although your narcissism is amazing in thinking anytime I'm thinking of the theater, I'm thinking of you. Well, every time the theater comes up, you do call me a theater kid every single time, which by the way, the New York Times says is a derogatory insult, theater kid. A new political insult. The numbers on these ratings says. You delivered that theatrically. Nothing on that.

I put a little mustard on it. The numbers on these ratings to have this be the biggest sporting event, non-football. division. I know this is kind of cheating, right? Because every year, the top 100 things watched in America, 94 of them are football related, professional football related, and then the other six is like some royal family interview or something that Oprah did. But to have this game produce, this still doesn't help me. Dan, no, but no, you're not in the same person. You're looking for something that doesn't exist. Let's throw up a still image that Dan is looking at, please.

The still image. He didn't need a dive? Look at that. Full extension. Yes, the still. Moton has a clubbed hand. He's looking to punch him. It looks like if he didn't jump, he'd be dead.

That's what it looks like in the still. The still does not help me. I will concede that the still buries me. But in real time. He's he walk into the end zone, as Dan described. I did not. You said he had it. He did have.

He clearly had it and he did it for the flare of the dramatic for a theatrical decision. They probably lose the game if he doesn't do that. You're an insane person. You've lost your mind. He did not. This does not help me. He is looking to destroy him. I will grant you that this one does not favor me.

This in terms of circumstantial evidence, this particular photo does not help me. Still not help him. He's getting him from the side. He could have just run right in. Run right in between all of them. made it standing. Could have made it standing. Your conviction is dwindling. You think this is like the guy who like dives into first base for the flare of the

dramatic rather than running through the bag? That's what you have this as. He knew he was going to get there and he was going to get there whether he dived or not. The numbers though on the game. Why do you think that is? Because this number is insane. Miami has a brand that we've been told for 20 years is nationally relevant. I guess the Miami U Helmet does mean something. A lot of people have suggested the NDA and a story has gone there. I think it's a combination of everything.

These were two great stories, and obviously the most important component is the game was good. I think you're discounting the bump that it got from Domino. The second half was good. The first half was a little bit hard to watch. The second half, anytime you have drama of that kind, close game, Miami ends up scoring three touchdowns in the second half, and it's not enough. The second half of that game was wonderful.

I also think that Miami in particular played like four really interesting games in this college football playoff. So even people who are like passive sports fans or casual observers, yeah, my dad got into it because of the Cuban thing. But the games that Miami were in were edge of your seat type of game. So people were more familiar with this story, the balance of the entire postseason. and as a whole, set the table so brilliantly for a final that really captured a nation. It looks like we got some breaking news as far as the college football playoff goes next year. They are not expanding. It's going to remain at 12.

The top four, the four power four conference champions are guaranteed a spot in the top 12. Duke, of course, was not guaranteed a spot this year. They're going to be guaranteed a spot this year. The group of six champions guaranteed a spot. Of course, Notre Dame with the bullshit if they're top 12. They should keep it at 12 because there were six teams that were worthy of winning a championship among the 12. And we allowed to 12 in. But there weren't 12 teams playing extra games at the end of this season that could have won the championship.

There were a bunch of teams in there, half the teams, that couldn't win the championship. Alabama, Oklahoma, among them, by the way. I'm not just doing this with James Madison and Tulane. I think hopefully the lasting legacy from this outside of what it's done. of the sport because the sport has an insane juice right now is it did, I think, firmly chip away at this SEC narrative so that the next time you could certainly argue Notre Dame deserved to be in over Oklahoma and Alabama. I mean, the next time this happens, people are going to remember that.

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Don Lebertard. Can I tell you something? I don't know, maybe like a month ago. And I decided to watch pitch clock. And I told Jeremy, Stugats. This is a good show you're doing. This is the Dan Leibatar show with the Stugats. I do think this is like really crazy though as a backlash, right?

That Duke should have been in a team that lost, what, five games and not James Madison, who scored 34 points against Oregon, more than most of the teams that they played. Okay, but still, more than most of the teams that they played. And by the way, Indiana is basically James Madison. All of their difference makers, all of their coaches, came from James Madison two years earlier, and yet we're just going to say,

oh, nope, because we don't like the uniform, those are the teams that shouldn't be in. It's garbage. All of you are calling me crazy. Look at this still now, if you're going to use bias stills that favor or support. arguments only. You tell me this is where Mendoza and I saw it. This is

what I saw. Look, he's looking at the end zone at the corner of his eye and he's like, how do I do this? Do I run in or do I just dive? Let me get my Heisman moment here. His legs are turned the other way. But look at where his head is. Look at where his head is and I'm sorry to exclude the audio audience this way. But look at

his head. He sees it and he's like right there he's doing the calculation. I could go in normally or I can do this dive He's being tripped up. That makes everyone remember me for all time. Look. I love how Dan has him. Like, he could just like...

Look at him. He's looking out of the corner of his eyes. As if he could just like... His feet are tangled. He could... The only way he could get in is by jumping. He could docy dough if he wanted to. Oh, not dozy dough.

He could docy dough. He could spin around. Yes, he could do it. I thought I saw Dan's side. I'm off that. His body's turned the other way. I want you to look at what you're seeing as a threat at his feet is a hurricane who has been panicked.

What you are seeing at his feet as a threat is a hurricane who's on his back with no ability to make that tackle. He has hands. He could trip him up. He's spinning the other way. Full head of steam. There is that. And his legs are actually pointed towards the end zone where Mendoza's aren't.

He could have. That is, he could have done jazz hands on the way. Hello, my baby. Instead, he decided to dive in theatrically. Motton coming back, by the way. Good for him. Good for us. Let's play.

No, no, I wasn't saying that Moten coming back is good for you. I was saying that Fernando Mendoza good for him that he chose to go theatrical. Yeah, because that was certainly not good for me. It's a play for all time, at least in part, because he chose to go theatrical. It's a less impressive play if he doesn't. If he runs in standing up, are you remembering it the same way? The answer is no to that. Yeah, he broke like four tackles.

Yeah, but you're not remembering the play the same way if it doesn't conclude with the punctuation of a dive. It's why I think Mendoza's going to be a great pro because Mendoza kind of turned him into Cal Mendoza in that game. He's not playing his best football at that time. And the pros is all about overcoming those little moments of adversity and still putting the team on your back when you don't have your best. I came away from this entire season as as impressed as I could possibly be with Mendoza. And I think even though he didn't have the game that you'd expect, He's still delivered for his teams in the crucial moments. I think he's going to be an awesome pro unless the Raiders ruin him like everybody else.

Let's play some sound here. I don't know how you guys feel about this. Many people have been in my circle texting me saying that Tom Brady has gotten a lot better. And I believe what's happening there, even though he probably has gotten a lot better, at least in part because he couldn't have gotten a lot worse, is that he's now being compared to Romo, who has gotten a lot worse. And here's Tony Romo talking about Josh Allen. Here he is calling a play and calling a game involving Josh Allen.

Go ahead and watch. Rome's right here. He's going to go ahead and get back and look. What the hell? Tony Romo, have you guys noticed the slippage? Because there were the reports about 18 months ago that CBS had to stage an intervention that Roma was golfing too much and not concentrating on the broadcasting enough and that he was being less than workman-like when it comes to the things that are required.

the discipline that's required from these announcers. You can't just go in there and wing it. You have to work at it. Right. We're on these devices that have a hell of a lot of influence. So I can't tell if I'm being swayed by other people noticing that someone's gotten good and bad because it's kind of timed out the same way is this confirmation bias. But, yeah, I'm finding myself being annoyed by Tony Romo during these broadcast and longing for the dude that was there before. also while that's happening

I am noticing Tom Brady's not talking as much and I'm liking the stories that he's given me and I think that the perspective that he's given me in these games is starting to get better and now I'm starting to associate his voice with bigger games which was also kind of foreign to me but I don't know if I'm just like reading awful announcing and being like they're making good points

for me it's just proving how good buck and Akeman are like they are just the best well you want to talk about that have you seen the numbers for the Manning cast Down. Huge. Down, huge. You could always count on a million and a half more people watching.

I was watching the Manningcast, even while I was on the air saying, I don't think this is as good as everybody's making it out, but everybody was heaping praise on it in part because ESPN's Monday Night Football Booth was bad. You get Aikman and Buck in there. It's 600,000 people watching the Manningcast. It's cratered. I've never actually watched Manningcast. Like, I've seen clips, you know, but I don't watch games.

Like I have to watch the actual game. I don't watch games like that. I watch the regular broadcast. And I would also add, none of this stuff bothers me. Like people, you know, they don't like Romo. They don't like Brady. They complain about Collinsworth. None of this stuff ever bothers me.

I'm never watching the game. Like, oh, my God, this guy gets on the call. I can't stand it. Okay, but that's you because I would say that in my history covering sports, there's very little that is more consensus unpopular than whoever is doing the broadcast on the game. I don't understand the distaste for Collinsworth, but I will not say that there is not a distaste for Collinsworth.

The thing, though, that I find interesting about this is that the broadcast is so sacred that people don't want anything that's new, and I do. Like, I like that Netflix is trying to talk to Emmett Smith or Clinton Portis during the game because they're trying to give you, you something that's different. I like the Manning cast attempts, just like I liked Dennis Miller and Tony Kornheiser in the booth.

But I am in the minority, as I am with the theatrical Mendoza diving at the goal line. I'm in the minority because people do believe that the broadcast needs to be sacred. They just want big and epic. They want Joe Buck and Troy Aikman to do it. That's not what I want. I don't want Joe Buck.

and just Troy Aikman, I want my sporting broadcast to evolve beyond the way it's always been done. But it is not, I am not with a popular viewpoint there because the sports fan just is like, give me meat and potatoes. I just want the game. Just give me that and don't take any chances. Well, if you remember in the 80s, I think it was an NBC game. I think it was Jet Dolphins when they had no commentators. It was just game footage and game sound. You want that? No. I want you to take risks and to entertain me. I thought this is one of the things that's confusing about it to me, right? We live in an age where we all have a bit of ADD. We need extra stimuli. We need to be watching this and have our phone and have our computer and have four screens on. We want more, more, more. But not when it comes to the football broadcast. It's not true when it comes to the football broadcast. Somehow,

11 minutes of action, which is all that a football game gives you, 11 minutes of game action. Three hours and all you're getting is 11 minutes, people want less. People do not want anything other than give it to me the way that I've always gotten it. And to me it's super weird because it doesn't run parallel to anything else in entertainment. Everywhere else in entertainment, you want more. You want more things. You can't get enough of more things. The Manning Cashed is an example.

Now, I don't think that's done all that well because Eli and Patner are only so interesting. Like, I do think that people underestimate the fact that performers on television have a skill set that former athletes might not have. Like, content makers who have made content all their life are going to be better at the making of content than Athlete X who's been doing something else the rest of his life. I like sidecast as a concept. I think they largely exist for social media traction. They live for moments. Big reactions to big moments because when your team's playing in that game, you search that stuff out. I do like All 22 and Statcast as a second screen experience.

I'm with Dan and that I want more chances being taken, but I want them being taken by voices that I associate with big time moments because watching broadcasts are nostalgia. And it took a minute for Fowler to get there. I wasn't the biggest fan of Fowler calling the games, but he was doing it from a place in which his voice was still always associated with big-time college football. So it wasn't that hard, and he's also improved at that sport. I love knowing that when Torrico and Collinsworth are on a game,

it's going to sound big and people are going to have their opinions. But Chris Collinsworth laughing, there's a nostalgia to it. It's stuff that you miss. Just like John Madden, I don't know how it would work today. I mean, the guy's making crazy noises. He's an older guy. Like, I'm not even sure how that would land, but people love the character of John Madden.

The thing is, though, what's super unusual about football is that, outside of what it is that you're presently saying, that people are now rejecting the Manning cast, usually football is so enough that it does not matter. Who is broadcasting it or what's happening around it? because Seattle Rams is something that people are going to watch, and it really doesn't matter if we do it the way Roy is saying of make the broadcast totally silent. People will complain about it, but they'll stay there and that game will do monster numbers.

I don't understand that take. I really don't. I hear you. The Manning cast is proof positive as to why the broadcast matters. Because they had more than twice the audience for that Manning cast, and I was one of those curious people because I hated the ESPN Monday Nightbook. You're missing my point, though. It's because you've got multiple options,

so people will select the one they're used to. If the Manning cast is all I gave them, that would be doing the monster numbers. If the football's always enough, the football doesn't need anything else. Right, but Monday Night and Football's ratings have gone up since Buck and Akeman have been there. So I do think that there is something to a certain quality,

an editorial overlook on how good the game broadcasts are, whether it's perceptible. I understand we're going to be. there no matter what. I'll do that weird thing where there's no sound at all. I'll be there no matter what, except for the AFC championship game. I'm not watching that shit. ESPN's pregame and post has improved. So I feel like that. It's not all Akeman. And it's games have improved. Look, this has more to do with Mike McQaeda than anybody at ESPN because what they produced on Saturday playoff football was so much bigger than the

bad Texans games that I've been watching for, I don't know how many years of Saturday. Saturday football, wild card football, Texas. How does that franchise always do it? They always play playoff games that I don't want to see. It's crazy. 17 different quarterbacks. Dumb matter. And you and I are both liars.

We're going to end up having to watch Broncos Seahawks. And it's not just because we have to talk about it the next day. It's because football's king.